North Carolinians involved in signing the Constitution then and now

In 1787, five North Carolinians traveled to Philadelphia to participate in the Constitutional Convention. Eventually, three of those five signed the U.S. Constitution.

TABITHA CLARK - Daily News Staff

In 1787, five North Carolinians traveled to Philadelphia to participate in the Constitutional Convention. Eventually, three of those five signed the U.S. Constitution.

Now even more have the chance to do so.

The Onslow County Bar Association sponsored an event Monday called “We the People” at the Onslow County Superior Courthouse that paid tribute to some of the nation’s founders while celebrating the Constitution’s 225th birthday. The event allowed residents to reaffirm their support for the Constitution, just as the president must take an oath to protect and preserve it, by adding their own signature to the bottom of a replica.

“I think sometimes this is one of the documents that we take for granted,” District Attorney Ernie Lee said. “We have to remember that it establishes our government and protects our rights.”

While members of the Bar spoke about George Washington and Ben Franklin, the majority of the night was spent on the five members of the Constitutional Convention from North Carolina: William Davie, William Blount, Hugh Williamson, Alexander Martin and Richard Dobbs Spaight.

Martin and Davie left the convention before the signing took place in September of that year. That left Blount, Spaight (who lived in New Bern) and Williamson as the signers that everyone can see on record today, according to the speakers at the event.

The North Carolina delegates were a deciding vote in “The Great Compromise,” which decided that House of Representative members would be decided by state population and each state would have two members in the Senate, according to attorney William J. Morgan.

Attorney Brett J. DeSelms gave a presentation about Martin.

According to DeSelms, when Martin returned from the convention, he was not allowed to speak about what happened at the convention, so he told someone, “I can’t tell you what happened, but I can tell you what did not happen — we did not appoint a king.”

That’s what the Constitution really is — a document that protects the rights of Americans and establishes the government that watches over the country.

“It’s not perfect,” Lee said. “Nonetheless, it is amazing to me that the 55 men who gathered there in Philadelphia, from different backgrounds and different states, were able fashion a government that still stands 225 years later.”

The replica Constitution is still on display and will be available for signing at the Onslow County Superior Courthouse through the end of November and possibly into December, according to Superior Court Judge Charles Henry. Once the signing is complete, the document may be moved to schools, libraries, and other government buildings for display.

Contact Daily News Reporter Tabitha Clark at 910-219-8454 or Tabitha.Clark@jdnews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @TabithaLClark or friend her on Facebook.